XII. 
ON SEA-SIDE PLANTING. 
THE influence of the sea spray prevents the profitable growth 
of plants over many extensive tracts of land adjoining the sea. 
But while this is the case, there is also a great space of waste 
land in maritime situations utterly barren, which by skilful 
treatment could be rendered profitable by the growth of 
forest trees. Nature, more especially unassisted nature, does 
little to tempt man to plant by the sea-side ; it is a union of 
the wild and the tame, which, though permitting it, she will 
not foster. Hence we never see trees spontaneously arise in 
such places. Art must therefore go to the fullest length of 
her resources, often in the preparation of the soil, and more 
frequently in forming a shelter—always in preparing the plants 
for adverse circumstances. Without these preliminary steps 
the ground had better remain as it is, for a plant that cannot 
readily establish itself when inserted in the soil, cannot be 
expected to withstand the buffeting of the far-fetched and 
keen-edged winds of the ocean. 
The formation of sea-side plantations is often more expen- 
sive than of those formed under ordinary circumstances. This 
arises mainly from its being necessary to erect screen fences, 
to a greater or less extent, and to trench the ground in almost 
every case, except where it is formed of sand-drift. In all 
maritime situations the difficulty is most formidable where the 
ground is near to the sea-level, with a gradual ascent, exposed 
to the prevailing wind, with what sailors term a “long fetch,” 
or great extent of rough sea. However close the position of 
land may be to the sea, if it is elevated a few hundred feet 
above high-water mark, the difficulty is more readily over- 
